The Evolution of Red
by The Dark Nightwing
Summary: "Beast Boy is left with a burning question: "Is Terra really alive?" Robin is still trying to discover the alias of Red X, and Slade is, once again, has a plan to eliminate the Teen Titans. Will they survive? This takes place right after 'Things Change.' ON HOLD
1. Comfort and Tea

**Author's Note: Well, this is my first story, so I hope you like it!**

**The Evolution of Red**

**Chapter 1:** Comfort and Tea

_**Titans Tower, 08:50pm**_

It was a long day for the Teen Titans.

The 'thing' which had been roaming the streets of Jump City had finally been captured and put in jail...that is...after Beast Boy had regrouped with the rest of the team. The fight, or rather, the chase had been long and tiring, but once Beast Boy had arrived, his heightened sense of smell had aided in tracking down the enemy in no time, and the 'thing' was quickly subdued.

Now, the Titans were finally returning to the tower after a long day of crime fighting, or rather 'finding.'

"OH MAAAAAAAN!" Cyborg screamed as he placed his robotic hand on the handprint scanner, thus, unlocking the massive front doors to the tower. "Did we kick some butt today or what!" Cyborg could hardly contain himself. He reenacted the fight as he explained. "Man, that guy was all over the place, but once BB _finally_ decided to show up, we-"

Beast Boy silently looked over at Cyborg with dull eyes, and then away again.

_'Man, what's up with him?'_

"You know," Robin said with a slight frown on his face, "we could have used you to lead with. There was no way for us to track him until you joined in. Where were you?"

The green teen didn't reply. Instead, he lazily walked into the tower, across the concourse, and towards the elevator. The rest of the team followed, each with a puzzled expression on their faces.

Cyborg leaned over to Robin and whispered "You know, usually after we complete a mission, Beast Boy won't stop talking about how much the team kicked butt. I don't think he's even said two words to anyone today."

"I know. It's not like Beast Boy to be this quite."

"It's okay, I know what to do in a time like this" Cyborg proclaimed."WHO'S UP FOR PIZZA?" cried Cyborg, hoping to get a response from Beast Boy. None came.

"Friend Beast Boy has been playing the game of quiet all day. Maybe he is upset with someone?" Starfire remarked with concern in her jade-green eyes. "Over what?" Robin queried, raising an eyebrow. Starfire shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"No, he isn't upset, but I don't think he's in the mood for pizza right now..." Raven said monotonously.

"Well then, how about a relaxing night of action packed-"

"...and not video games either, Cyborg."

"Aw, man." Cyborg said with a pouty tone in his voice.

The Titans quickly packed themselves into the elevator and Cyborg hit a button that read 'main ops level' on the silver control panel. As the elevator started to ascend up into the tower, the team stood together in close quarters with each other, and judging by the funky smell that was beginning to accumulate, each team member could tell that it was time for a long, hot shower.

_**Titans Tower: 09:35pm**_

Raven reached down to turn the silver handle on the wall, ceasing the water from flowing. She wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the shower. "Much better_," _the girl sighed in relief._ 'Hopefully by now, everyone is asleep.'_ she thought to herself as she decided to avoid any disturbances during her evening meditation.

After throwing on her midnight-blue bath robe, she unlocked the bathroom door. The door slid open with a slight hissing sound, followed by a cloud of steam which came pouring out into her room. Raven slowly emerged from the steamy bathroom and made her way to her closet. She slipped out or her bath robe and into a clean leotard, then floated over towards window.

Using her telekinetic abilities, Raven lit the candles around her room. The flickering flames surrounding her gave off just enough light for her to see her surroundings without having to focus her eyesight, but dim enough so she could not see the light under her closed eyelids. Satisfied, Raven then sat down in a lotus position, closed her eyes, and folded her hands in her lap.

As the girl became more and more relaxed, her heart and breathing rate began to slow, and while still sitting in the lotus position, the girl began to rise off the floor as she began her meditation.

"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

In the language of Azar, these words meant 'home, serenity, peace.' These were the words that Raven used to concentrate her powers.

"Azarath, metrion zinthos."

The dark teen said these words out loud as she tried to concentrate. All was at peace...or was it? Normally, Raven was able to find her meditative state in no time, but not tonight. Something felt out of place. She didn't know what, but it was enough to keep her from meditating.

Raven sighed, opened her eyes, and proceeded towards the door, grabbing her cloak along the way. _'I need some tea.'_

_**Titans Tower, 9:55pm**_

It seemed as though everyone had gone to sleep, until Starfire appeared, gliding down the halls in her pink pajamas, smiling cheerfully as she hummed an innocent tune.

"Friend Raven, it is most wonderful to see you this evening. I thought you were to do the meditating this evening."

"I tried, but I couldn't concentrate. So...I guess I'm going to go make some tea. Wanna join me?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I have already consumed my snack for the evening," the Tamaranian said as she wiped a small patch of mustard off her lips.

"Well...goodnight then." Raven glided past the Tamaranian, with the usual blank expression still on her face.

"Good night to you too! I hope that you may engage in the sweet dreaming tonight!"

As Raven approached the main ops room, the doors opened, and she made her way over to the kitchen area, now humming the same tune Starfire had been singing. She opened the yellow cabinets to find her tea pot. As she took out her kettle, she heard a slight sigh from across the room. Raven turned to her left see the silhouette of a young, green teen, standing by the giant window and observing the shimmering light coming from the reflection of the moon over Jump City Bay.

"Beast Boy, what are you do-"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Are you...okay? You seem kinda-"

"I'm fine."

"But-"

"Good night, Raven."

Raven stood there silently, tea kettle still in hand, and she watched as her friend walk past her and out of the room. Judging from the way Beast Boy had answered her, Raven knew that he was indeed, not 'fine', and she knew exactly why. Raven then looked down at her tea kettle.

_'He hasn't talked to anyone all day.' _Raven remembered when Beast Boy brought up the possibility of Terra being alive, and all the Titans had rejected the notion, believing that he had just been daydreaming._ "No wonder he hasn't talked to anyone. He doesn't want to get shot down again."_

Raven then looked up at the door, and then back down at her tea kettle again, weighing the two options. She let out a sigh. _"Oh well, what have I got to lose?" _And with that, the dark girl placed the kettle back in its proper place in the cabinet, and turned to walk towards the door.

_**Beast Boy's Room, 10:07pm**_

Beast Boy looked over at his alarm clock, with a display of 10:07 in green numbers. He then turned back to face his large wall-sized window again, which was the only thing providing light across his messy room. He sighed again, letting out all of his breath.

_'It WAS her. I know it was. Why is she denying it?' _His long pointy earns drooped even more, but all the while, he kept his sight on the brightly lit bay as if looking for his long lost girlfriend. The one person who truly accepted him had died, come back from the dead, and told him that she didn't know him. The boy continued to stare out the window, waiting and watching for absolutely nothing.

The door opened, and the green boy could feel another presence enter his room; a female presence. The door then hissed shut. He heard the air swish in the room as the girl glided over to him.

"Starfire look, I appreciate the offer, but I already said I don't want any of your pudding of sadness."

"Neither do I."

Beast Boy looked up a little in surprise, though he didn't turn to see Raven standing next to him. "Why are you here?" he asked. "You never come to my room."

"Well, I was meditating...or at least...trying to. But...uh, never , ever since we came back to the tower, you've been quite distant, and you haven't said a word...to anyone. I guess I'm just...concerned."

"Why would it matter to you? I thought you would enjoy it if I left you alone."

"It matters to me because I care for you Beast Boy."

Although Raven had a hard time admitting it, Beast Boy had grown on her. A lot. She enjoyed his company. She would never admit it, but she actually found some of his crummy jokes to be somewhat funny. Somewhat.

"Since when have you started caring for me?"

"Beast Boy...I..." Raven was slightly taken back by his remark.

"I'm sorry...that was inappropriate...I know you care for everyone on the team...even if you aren't always allowed to show it."

As Raven stepped beside him, Beast Boy turned his head to look at her. She knew the boy was upset, but as the two teens met each others' gaze, Raven realized just how much an understatement the word 'upset' was.

The boy had small bags under his eyes, and she could see that there were two residual streaks on his cheeks, from the tears. Raven's eyes grew wider and she frowned with worry as she looked over at her friend. He turned away again, looking down towards the waters of the bay once more.

"I really, REALLY liked her, Raven...and she didn't remember me. She told me that I had the wrong girl. But it _was_ her. She looked the same, she walked the same, talked the same, even laughed the same! I even went to the cave where her statue was to make sure I wasn't dreaming, and her statue was _gone_. It _has_ to be her!"

Raven realized why this was all such a big deal to him. He believed he saw someone he loved come back to life, only to be denied.

"Or maybe Slade was right..." Beast Boy's eyes closed, and his head and ears drooped downward as another tear fell down his cheek. "Maybe she just...doesn't...want to remember me." There was a hint of squeakiness in the boy's voice.

"Slade?" Raven stared at Beast Boy, concern and worry growing ever more present. "_If Slade is back..."_ Raven shook the thought out of her head, afraid of what she would imagine next.

Beast Boy looked up and sighed as he remembered how Slade had delivered the ominous message to him.

"When I went visiting the old abandoned fair grounds last night, one of his drones found me. He told me that it wasn't because she didn't remember, that it was because she didn't want to, and that I was hurting her."

"Oh my gosh, Beast Boy...I'm so sorry...but you _have_ tell Robin about Slade tomorrow morning."

"Will do." Beast Boy let out yet another sigh.

Without noticing it, as the two had been talking, Raven had moved closer to Beast Boy. She was now less than a foot away from him.

"She was the only one who really knew me, Raven. The only one who liked the things about me that everyone else hates...and now she's gone."

"Listen, Beast Boy. I don't hate _anything_ about you. No one does. I like you for who you are. We all do." Raven blushed slightly as she spoke softly to the hurting boy standing next to her. "Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg may not understand what you are going through, but I do."

Raven closed her eyes as she remembered the painful incident that had happened to her almost two years ago. "I don't think I have mentioned this to anyone else before, but I'm pretty sure _you_ figured it out anyway. Malchior was a person who I felt was the only one who could truly understand who I am, and when he turned on me...on all of us...I felt like I had been...used. The one person, whom I thought I had loved, denied me. I know how it feels."

"Ya, I know he hurt you really badly. I hurt _me_, seeing how much pain _you_ were in."

Raven deeply longed to make eye contact with the boy again, but he didn't look at her. She spoke softly.

"I don't know exactly what happened between the two of you, but maybe it is best to let her move on."

Beast Boy shed another tear.

"It's probably for the best. The memories she has might be too painful, and she will have to deal with it in her own way."

"I know how bad it hurts, but that doesn't mean you can't talk to someone about it." Raven then stepped in front of the green boy and placed a finger on his chest. "I will always be here for you Beast Boy, right here, and so will the other Titans. You think you're alone Beast Boy, but you're not."

Raven moved her hand to Beast Boy's shoulder. He looked up to see the girl again, his emerald eyes looking into her amethyst ones. There was a long pause between the two of them, until Beast Boy practically wrapped his arms around her, embracing the girl in a tight hug. "Thank you Raven. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"You're welcome, Beast Boy."

And for the first time that day, Beast Boy actually smiled. Those were almost the exact words he used to comfort Raven, when she had been hurt by Malchior.

The two stood there, in the dim light, embracing each other in a hug. They both had a hesitation to let go.

"I was about to get some tea. Do you wanna come with me?"

"Sure," the green boy said, his smile growing a little wider, "I could use a good slice of Tofu."

Beast Boy followed Raven out the door, as the two walked towards the main ops room.

_**Titans Tower, 10:15pm**_

The doors to the Main Ops room opened with a hiss, and into the room came Raven, followed by a now less depressed Beast Boy. He sat at the counter in front of the kitchen area as Raven fetched her tea kettle once again. She filled the pot with water, placed it on the stove, and went back over to the cabinets to get her favorite midnight-blue mug.

"Didn't you say you were going to get some tofu?" Raven queried as she placed her mug across the counter.

"Actually, if you don't mind, could I try some of your herbal tea stuff?"

Raven paused for a second, surprised by his request. Nonetheless, she took out a second mug and placed it on the counter by Beast Boy, followed by two tea bags, one in each cup.

"Thanks."

"Sure thing."

The two sat at the counter in silence, waiting for the water to boil. Finally, after a minute or so, Beast Boy broke the silence.

"So, I know you and Terra didn't exactly get along very well, but did you think she was a friend, or what did you think?"

Raven looked down at her mug, and taking a deep breath through her nose before replying heavily, "Beast Boy, she was a teammate...our friend. When she turned on all of us, I couldn't help but feel betrayed by her. She handed us directly over to Slade, so of course I felt like she was a traitor. But when we found out that she wasn't in control, I knew who she was." Beast Boy nodded in agreement.

"She was lost, and she didn't know how to trust anyone. All her life, she had been rejected because of her powers..." Beast Boy looked remorseful as he spoke.

"And that led her into the wrong hands. She didn't have control, just like Robin had no control when he was taken by Slade.

"But in the end, she was on our side...she was..."

"A true friend." Raven placed her hand on his. He smiled up at her, and she smiled back.

"Maybe it's best to let her be." Beast Boy still carried a somber look on his face, but with a hint of a smile as well, as the memories began to flow again.

The water was now simmering, and Raven got up to take the pot off the stove. She poured the hot water into both mugs before placing the pot in the sink and returning to her seat next to Beast Boy. She wrapped her hands around the warm mug and brought it close to her lips. The steam carried the sweet autumn scent to her nose. She slowly tilted the mug towards her and she watched as Beast Boy did the same. After taking a swig, the green boy looked down at the mug, and then back up at Raven.

"It just tastes like leaf juice or something! Is this really what you drink every day?"

Raven smiled slightly and giggled at the boy's cluelessness.

_**9 HOURS AGO...**_

"Maybe you don't remember, but I do. You're my friend, you're a Teen Titan!"

"You're wrong."

"You don't belong here Terra."

"Stop calling me that!"

"It's who you are."

"What do you want from me!?" The girl looked at Beast Boy with sorrow. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Why can't things just go back to the way they were? You were so happy then."

"Things were never the way you remember. Now just leave me alone." The girl backed away from him, trying to hide her pain. Beast Boy reached towards his belt, taking off his yellow communicator.

"Here, take this. In case you're in trouble. In case you need me, you can call me any time."

"I don't need it."

"But-"

"Time's up."

"Terra." Beast boy couldn't take it. He was desperate to help Terra remember.

"Things change, Beast Boy. The girl you want me to be is just a memory." As the girl looked down and away from the boy, she had to try with all her strength to keep the tears that were forming in her eyes from falling down her face.

Beast Boy felt the communicator in his hand vibrate, as it signaled an incoming transmission. He opened the cover, and saw his leader's face appear on the screen, obviously desperate to contact him. "Come in Beast Boy, we need your help!"

Beast Boy looked back up at the girl in front of him."Come with me."

"You go. You're the Teen Titan. It's who you are. That's not me. I'm not a hero. I'm just a girl with a geometry class next period, and I haven't studied."

"Terra..."

The girl backed into the crowd, out of the boy's sight. She couldn't bear to let him see her cry. After all, lying to the one whom you love can be painful. She wanted to go with her green friend, but she knew, that for his safety, she had to sever all ties from her past, and keep herself hidden...for now.

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

_**Author's Note: ****So, this is the first chapter of my first story. I hope you like it so far, so please leave a review for me to let me know how I am doing. Please be nice, this is my first story after all :)** _

_**The Dark Nightwing**_


	2. Dawn

**The Evolution of Red**

**Chapter 2:** Dawn

_**Beast Boy's Room, 7:12am**_

"_Mmmmffff. Nnnnnngrrrrrrr_." The green teen rolled over. His sleepy eyelids opened slowly, then quickly slammed shut again as the dim light stung his eyes. Beast Boy reluctantly sat up and looked over at the clock.

_'7:13? Why am I even awake right now?'_

Beast Boy removed the covers and stood up. He walked over to his closet and took out his uniform. He removed his white night shirt and tossed it into the clothes basket inside his closet. Yes, not the floor, the clothes basket.

The boy put on his purple and black uniform and walked towards the window. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon. The water was shimmering and the windows of the city were glowing with the refection of several shades of orange and red light. '_Huh...this is beautiful. Maybe I should get up early more often.'_

Then he remembered Terra. The boy's ears drooped and his head fell downward as the depression set in. He thought of all the good times he had with Terra. Fighting crime together, going to Ben's Diner together, going to the fair together; it was all a big memory now.

Beast Boy then remembered what Raven had said to him last night: "_You think you're alone right now Beast Boy, but you're not."_ He remembered the look of kindness and sympathy in her soft, amethyst eyes. A smile slowly came across his face, and he looked up again as he realized something: he already has a family who accepted him completely: the Titans. Feeling bad about losing Terra was not going to do any good, but remembering all the good times he had with her brought comfort. Maybe she was back, and maybe she wasn't, but whatever the case, it's time to move on.

Surprisingly, the thought felt more comforting than depressing. He let out a relaxing moan as he stretched, squeezing all the tension out of his body.

The green teen opened the window, stuck his head out, and took a deep breath of fresh air through his nose, and let it out again. He watched as the waves moved back and forth across the top of the water. Beast Boy closed his eyes and smiled as the cool wind blew through his green hair, and his smile grew wider. The birds were beginning to sing. The boy stood there, taking it all in. "Today is going to be a great day."

Beast Boy closed the window and walked towards the door. He smiled as he walked out of his room.

_**Main Ops Room, 7:20am**_

"Cyborg, what the heck are you doing?!"

"What, Robin?"

"I thought you were making waffles for breakfast. What is this?" Robin stared down at his plate.

"It's called a pancake, Robin. It's the same thing, just made in a pan, not a waffle iron."

"It's NOT the same thing." Robin glared up at Cyborg.

"Well, I told you we needed a new waffle iron. The other one broke from being overused, remember?"

As the argument in the kitchen intensified, Raven sat on the far side of the couch, going about her normal morning routine: reading a good book and sipping a cup of tea. At least, that's what she was trying to do. The raging argument in the kitchen made it difficult to even hear her own thoughts.

"Please Raven, explain to me. What is the pancake thing of which the boys are doing the fighting over?"

"It's a waffle, but without the squares in it."

"Oh...Is it an earthly custom to do the arguing before engaging in the consumption of such a meal, even though there is little difference?"

"No...it's not, Starfire." Raven couldn't help but smile at the way Starfire spoke so...innocently.

"Dude! We're going to have pancakes for one day, Robin. ONE. DAY. So just calm down and eat it. There's nothing different about it."

"Ya know, Cyborg, maybe I should just take over from here." Robin came around the counter and over towards the stove.

"Oh, no you don't!" Cyborg put his fist out towards Robin as his arm transformed into a sonic cannon. "If you want to mess with my cooking, you're going to have to-"

SPLOOSH!

The boys slowly turned their heads toward the stove. There was pancake batter everywhere. "I'm, sorry. I didn't mean to do that, but it wouldn't have happened if you guys would just shut up." Raven looked over at them with a look of annoyance, and a hint of embarrassment .

Just then, the doors to the main ops room opened, and everyone froze. They each turned their heads to look at who could possibly be entering the room.

"Mornin' guys."

Cyborg's mouth dropped to the floor. "Beast Boy, it's like, not even 7:30 yet. Why are you awake? _How_ are you awake?"

"I dunno. I was wondering the same thing." Beast Boy looked over at what remained of the pancake batter. "What happened here?"

Cyborg transformed his arm back into, well, an arm. "It's a long story."

"Ya, I bet." The green teen stooped to eye level with the counter and eyed the mess, then looked at what was already on Robin's plate. "Dude, what is that?"

Cyborg opened his mouth, but Robin spoke first. "It's called a 'pancake'," the Boy Wonder said with finger quotes and sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh."

Cyborg took out a roll of paper towels and handed it to Robin. "If you clean this up, I will go get a new waffle iron, just for you, _Robin_."

The Boy Wonder glared at Cyborg before he took the towels and started wiping up the mess.

Cyborg walked towards the door. "If you guys need anything else, just call me." He then left the room, mumbling something about being too stubborn.

"Stupid bucket of bolts."

"I HEARD THAT!" Cyborg yelled from the other side of the door.

Robin finished wiping up the mess, and placed the paper towels back in their place. He then looked around the room. Raven was still sitting on the couch, reading her book. Starfire was standing in front of the window, doing her morning yoga stretches. Beast Boy was...Starfire...was doing her yoga stretches. Wow. The way she moved from side to side...it...Robin shook his head. He didn't want to get caught staring.

Robin then turned to Beast Boy, who was now reaching inside the fridge, looking for his tofu eggs. A sinister look plastered itself upon Robin's face.

Beast Boy closed the door, only to see Robin standing behind it.

"Hey Beast Boy. Whatchya, got there?"

"Um...tofu. Why?"

"Well, you are the expert with tofu, and I myself enjoy your tofu scrambled eggs. You should make some for all of us." Robin still had that sinister grin on his face.

"Uh, sure. No problem." _'Man, what's up with him?'_

"Oh, and make sure you leave some for Cyborg."

"...Sure, I will."

"Robin...are you okay?" Raven asked. She too had noticed his odd behavior.

Robin walked over to Raven and whispered, "Cyborg will be expecting eggs for breakfast when he returns, but instead, it will be tofu. We all know how he hates tofu. It's the perfect revenge for ruining my breakfast."

Raven stared at him blankly for several seconds before responding with her usual emotionless sarcasm. "You're a genius." Raven closed her book and walked away from Robin. '_You boys are so stupid sometimes.' _Raven approached the stove, where her tea kettle was still sitting. As she poured another cup of tea, Beast Boy couldn't help but comment.

"So, is that stuff I drank last night really just leaf juice?"

"Yes, it is. Speaking of last night, I think there is something you should tell Robin."

"Oh, yeah."

"Tell me what?" Robin was now standing directly behind Raven. '_Seriously, what's with you this morning, you creeper?'_

Beast Boy took a deep breath, and let it out again in a long sigh. "Robin, we need to talk about something. It's actually really important." Sensing the concern is his teammate's voice, Robin immediately snapped out of his weirdness and back into leader mode. "Beast Boy, come sit on the couch, and we can talk."

"Okay, and I think the rest of you should hear this too." Beast Boy sounded serious.

The three Titans in the kitchen made their way back to the couch, and Starfire rolled up her yoga mat. "Friend Beast Boy, what is troubling you?" Is it the 'pancake' that Cyborg has prepared?"

"No, Starfire." The Tamaran girl now made her way to the couch as well.

Beast Boy remained standing as the others sat to listen. "Okay, so you remeber that a few days ago, I told you I thought I saw Terra. I also went searching for her, and I even found her, or, at least I think it was her; she kept telling me that I had the wrong person, but-"

By the blank looks on Robin's and Starfire's faces, Beast Boy obviously needed to get to the point. "Well, the night before last, I was walking around the suburbs of Jump City, to all the places that Terra and I went to, like Ben's Diner, and the old fairgrounds and stuff. Well, when I was at the fairgrounds, I found someone, or rather, he found me." Beast Boy looked stone cold as he remembered that chilling night.

"What do you mean?" Robin still didn't know where this was going.

"I...uh...well...S-Slade. Slade attacked me. I fended him off, but never the less, it was him. Slade...Slade is back, Robin."

Robin stood up with a dead-serious expression on his face, and an audible whimper could be heard from Starfire.

"Thank you for telling me Beast Boy. It was really important to let me know...to let us all know."

With that, the Boy Wonder turned and quickly walked out of the room.

"Where is _he_ going?"Raven queried.

"We all know where he is going. The crime lab."

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

**Author's Note: Well, this chapter may have been short, and not to good either, but it was the best way I could change the mood of the story as the plot begins. I hope it wasn't too painful to read. Please review...**


	3. NOT A NEW CHAPTER, JUST A NOTE OF DELAY

Dark Nightwing here:

So, I do have major plans for this story, as well as possible sequels for it, however, I have a very tight schedule, and I just don't have the time right now to write the story and make it good enough to read.

I just want anyone who is reading this story to know this: I WILL continue with this story, just not right now. I will post an update as to when the next chapter will be posted, but as of right now, don't expect it to be updated for at least a few months.

When I do update, I will also go back and slightly edit the previous chapters. I want to make them better as well.

So sorry for all of this. Thanks for your understanding and support!

The Dark Nightwing


End file.
